• Age: 10 to 18
• Grade: 5 to 12

“First times” can be life-changing experiences. Marthe Jocelyn has selected fourteen unforgettable stories, written by several of the best authors in North America, which explore human nature and take the reader on a transforming journey. From innocent firsts, such as first blue jeans, first boyfriend, first job, first step into adulthood, to the more complex first disillusionment, first inappropriate love, first family breakup, first breach of trust, to the shocking first dead body and first night alone, the stories in First Times — in all their diversity — embrace and captivate with their power.

Contributors include Martha Slaughter, Curtis Parkinson, Susan Juby, Alan Cumyn, Susan Adach, Ted Staunton, Richard Scrimger, Gillian Chan, Bill Habeeb, Nancy Hartry, Bill Richardson, Tim Wynne-Jones, Marthe Jocelyn, and Sarah Ellis.

Marthe Jocelyn is the award-winning author and illustrator of over thirty-five books for babies, kids and teens. Her illustrated books have been shortlisted for both the Governor General’s Literary Award and the Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award. In 2009 she was the recipient of the prestigious Vicky Metcalf Award for her body of work. One Red Button and One Piece of String are the result of her lifelong obsession with scraps, and her delight in surprising the reader with unexpected details. Originally from Toronto, Marthe settled in Stratford, Ontario, after a thirtyyear stretch in New York. For more information, visit www.marthejocelyn.com.

Marthe Jocelyn's profile page

Praise for Mable Riley:

“… this novel is a delightful elixir of Little House on the Prairie and Anne of Avonlea….”
— School Library Journal

“… a funny and inspiring tale of a young girl finding her voice and the courage to make it heard.… This book … will be enjoyed by all who read it.”
— VOYA

Praise for Secrets:

“… unforgettable … Readers will enjoy these tales of life, love, and liberation.”
— School Library Journal

“Twelve gifted authors share their stories of secrets in Marthe Jocelyn’s new book. They tell powerful tales of secrets kept, and secrets told.… I am always thrilled to be able to recommend a superb collection of memorable short stories. We have too few. These are worthy of your attention and should be shared.”
— Brandon Sun

First Times

There’s a first time for everything, and many of those experiences are unforgettable. More often than not, what we choose to remember — and return to over and over in our minds — are those milestone first times, those rites of passage that give us a slice of independence and a piece of adulthood. We all remember our first job, first night alone, first pair of jeans, first boyfriend. But it’s also impossible to ignore some other firsts — equally indelible, despite perhaps being painful, unpleasant, or disturbing: the first run-in with crime, first glimpse of a dead body, first betrayal of trust, first split-up of family, first unattainable love, first failed test of maturity. And let’s not leave out those creative firsts that writers and writing can inspire: the first experience of writing a story, stepping inside a poem for the first time, or drinking in that first experience of belonging in an imaginative world...

All of these firsts are explored in this collection compiled by the award-winning Marthe Jocelyn. It contains stories by many of “the greats” in Canadian literature for young people. Put simply, this short story collection is brilliant — which is no surprise, with contributing authors such as Susan Juby, Gillian Chan, Alan Cumyn and Tim Wynne-Jones, to name just a few. Each of these stories is unique and surprising in its own way, and each character jumps off the page fully developed and diverse. Each story looks at life’s curves in a fresh way, and stands out for its ingenuity. Consider, for example, a story of a boy determined to help his dog, raised as a vegetarian, to get his first taste of meat on the last day of his life. Talk about originality...

With its insight into the teenage mind and the turning points of the adolescent life, this collection is sure to be loved by readers.

First Times

First times can be life-changing experiences. Marthe Jocelyn has selected 14 unforgettable stories written by several of North America’s best authors including Alan Cumyn, Sarah Ellis, Susan Juby, Curtis Parkinson, Bill Richardson, Richard Scrimger and Tim Wynne- Jones. The stories captivate with their power and take readers on transforming journeys of life and love.